Abundance

At the beginning of 2022 I decided abundance was going to be the word that I would focus on improving for the year. Life happened and I forgot to focus on abundance. When inflation started to pinch out that feeling of abundance this fall, I saw my reminder and started to wonder how I was going to find any abundance in my life. Christmas was coming. Challenges and trials were closing in, and abundance, felt like something others were blessed with. I felt like the more I tried to find abundance the less abundant my life was. I was trying to find it, but like many things we chase, I felt abundance was fleeting.

Weeks went by and with a tiny glimmer of hope it seemed that Christmas might just turn out okay. It wasn't that we were poor, or that our kids would go without, but it certainly didn't feel like the abundant Christmases we had experienced in the past. I just felt that finances were tight and we were stuck. After weeks of searching for abundance the Lord taught me a lesson in trusting him.

The last day of school, before Christmas break, my high schooler was going to drive to school so that if he wanted to come home early he could. The students were given the option to buy their way out of class in order to raise funds for charity so we wanted to give him the option to buy his way out of class. Being my introverted child, he was NOT interested in attending the high school assembly at the end of the day. With a potential snow storm coming that afternoon we decided he would just take the bus to school that day. As I finished up work I got a text from him. He was telling me he might need a ride home from school. I thought it was odd, but figured it wouldn't be a big deal to swing by the high school on the way home. As I pulled up, here he came with this giant 50" tv box.

What in the world is he doing with that? Did he win that? How? I opened the van and he slid the tv in and hopped in. I started asking my questions and he told me of how his teacher had bought raffle tickets for the students in his class so he had one raffle ticket in the drawing. They pulled a name for the drawing and the student wasn't there so he would forfeit the tv. They pulled another name and when he heard his name he thought, "wait was that my last name?" He ran down the stairs to claim his prize and sure enough it was his raffle ticket they had pulled. 

Hundreds of other names and some kids had many entries and yet, my son, with his one and only ticket. The son who was only there because of a pending snow storm, came home with the free tv. After I got home, I had to head across town to make a purchase. As I was driving I was thinking about all of the improbability around him winning. Then the thought came into my mind. 'Marlies, if I can do all of this to help your son win a free tv do you really think that I won't help you get through this rough time?'

 

Tears came to my eyes, and suddenly all of that abundance I had been seeking was right in front me. I may not have won the lottery, but in my mind it was close enough. I don't know what the Lord has in store for me, but what I do know is that he gave my son a tv. Maybe just maybe the whole point of him winning was just so the Lord could tell this worried mother that he loves me and that everything will be all right. The truth is, I think it will be, because God loves me enough to give my kid a free tv. 

 

 

Can a ROCK Make You Feel God's Love?

 As my son and I were walking along the trail and back to Bloomington Lake I noticed a variation in the coloring of the rock. I love to find life lessons around me and most especially in the natural world. I decided to start photographing the rocks. Some might think taking picutures of rocks is very odd. For me I found a lesson in these rocks.

I asked my son what these rocks were made of and he replied, "minerals." I then asked him how big those minerals were. He answered that they were "very tiny." He even remarked that he could see some evidence of iron and copper in the rocks. I then asked him if the tiny minerals in those rocks mattered. Do those minerals make a difference? He agreed that they did. If those tiny minerals can make a difference in the way that rock looks to us just imagine the difference we, as tiny and insignificant as we may feel we are, make in the lives around us.

It is so easy to think that what we do or stay doesn't matter. It's so easy to be calloused or cruel to those around us without even thinking about it. It's easy to become lazy and indifferent in our actions. It's easy to believe the negative voices that tell us that we don't matter or make a difference. Oh, how much difference we can make when we show up as our best selves. Giving all that we can. Sometimes that effort and ability isn't as strong as other times, but we still can make a remarkable impact when we bring our gifts and talents to life and help others. We can still be a light in the darkness.

Never forget that you matter to this world. Never forget that you matter to others and NEVER forget that you matter a great deal to GOD! He loves you! I hope the next time to see a rock (especially a colorful one) that you remember that God placed all those perfect minerals together to remind you that he loves you more than you can imagine! 

See the Dirt

Learning from Family History

See the Dirt

 I love how family history stories can help you when you need them. I've been wondering how to help my boys get better at being more thorough in cleaning the house. Then the other day I thought of my 3X Great Grandmother, Lydia Pilch Thrower. Her granddaughter, who lived with her, said, "She taught me to see dirt, for she said, 'If you see dirt, you will clean it up."

As I thought of this lesson I decided to try it out on my boys. I went through the house and showed them the dirty spots that they weren't seeing. I reasurred them that they were still doing a good job and told them it's easy not to see all the dirt all the time. This last week my youngest was so excited to show me that he had cleaned the soap dish. You can see that they both needed a good cleaning. 😉 He was so happy to have gone the extra mile and cleaned the extra dirt without being told to. 

I'm so thankful for the knowledge we can gain as we learn from those who came before us. What a blessing that I have some many histories and wonderful people who I can learn from!

Storm Clouds Make Beautiful Rainbow Skies!

 

When I walked out of work today I looked up and saw the cloud on the top left of this collage. It was such an amazing cloud that I had to stop and take a photo. In fact the sky was so beautiful I swung by the soccer fields near my work so I could take more photos of the beautiful sky. I always wonder if people think I am crazy pointing my phone at the sky. Ha ha

As the day rolled on, I saw the beautiful storm clouds move in. I didn't use to think of them as beautiful. In fact the loss of sunlight used to make me gloomy and grumpy. Thankfully events in my life a few years back taught me to look for the joy and the magic in all things. Including storm clouds. Over the last 4 years or so I have come to LOVE storm clouds. They are so fascinating and have the most beautiful shapes and textures.

The best part of my day came when I realized that those beautiful clouds, turned storm clouds, became that most beautiful sunset. I was driving home and I was dying to get there and capture the constantly changing and evolving sky. I was thankful to catch the end of it. These beautiful clouds reminded me of the blessings that can come from the storm clouds in our life. Without those clouds the sunset would not have been so beautiful! Yesterday those literal storm clouds brought about answers to a prayer in my life. No! Not a prayer for rain like you might think. 

I had been praying for the last few weeks for help to find my sunglasses. I had looked everywhere I could think of and they were nowhere to be found. They aren't special or expensive sunglasses, but I liked them and when I gave up and went to purchase another pair I was sad to see that I didn't like any of those. I decided to put the task on hold and take a look another day.

Last night the ladies at our church had a garden party in one of the church member's backyard. When I was about to get ready and go, it started to rain and I kept waiting for them to cancel the garden party. They didn't. I went, and as I walked out the door I decided to grab my rain jacket just to be safe. When I got there and I folded my arms as they said the blessing on the food, I noticed and odd shape in my chest pocket. The very rain that I had been cursing because I was worried it would ruin the party was the answer to my prayer to find my sunglasses. Without that rain I never would have thought to check that pocket for those glasses. Without an event with a prayer on the food I still might have missed that the sunglasses were there. My prayer was answered and the garden party had just a little rain right at the beginning. The rest of the evening was lovely.

I'm so grateful that the Lord 

knows what he's doing 

when he sends me rain clouds! 

Sermons from a Sunday

Birthday Lesson's

for a Granddaughter

Today is the 135th birthday of my Great Grandpa, Ezra Kunz. While I was sitting in church today my Family Search App sent me a notification about his birthday. That reminder made me so happy. I sent it on to my son and got a smile from him as well. I did know my grandpa, but I don't really remember him since he passed away when I was only five. After a moment of happiness, remembering what I know about him, the Lord took the opportunity to teach me a sermon through my grandpa. 

You see I have been struggling lately. Not terribly, but I have been a bit frustrated and impatient with paying off my husband's surgery from 6 months ago while paying for the medical expenses of my son's broken arm back in May. I've grown accustomed to having a little extra and these things have made our finances tighter than I would like. Because of all this I feel like I can't live the grand life I want to live and give to my children. It's left me frustrated.

Grandpa Kunz lived during the depression and there are many stories of how my grandfather struggled to provide for his family. One of those stories, told by my Great Aunt Thekla is her recollection of gathering weeds with her mother from a field near their home. They were gathered in order to make a stew for the family supper. As I sat in church thinking of my grumblings of feeling like a "poor pauper" I realized that I was more rich than I realized. I also realized that no matter what you are lacking in wealth and influence in worldly ways, you make up for with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My grandpa may have truly been a "poor pauper" but his examples and influencial stories live on. He lived a long and decent life. He and my grandma had been married for 75 years when he died. They raised a good family and he had a wonderful testimony of paying tithing to the Lord. A testimony that had helped my testimony of tithing to grow.

I was also blessed by an unspoken sermon this morning in church. My friend was speaking in church and her 4-year-old daughter wanted to be on the stand with her mom. She was very unhappy with her dad for telling her she couldn't go up on the stand. As she was laying unhappily in the isle a mother and her young son from the other side of the chapel discretely slid across the large row of pews in the middle of the chapel so they could sit across the isle from the young girl. I saw as the mother, who was new to our ward (congregation), encouraged her son as he shared some of his crackers with the little girl. The young girl then began sharing her snacks with the boy. My heart was warmed as I watch these young children serve and lift up one another. What a blessing it is so be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in church and from my family.   

Truly I am rich in Christ!

Blessed Honored Pioneers!

A few weeks ago, I saw a post about Green Flake and the new monument that was revealed today at this is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was with hesitancy that I posted about my connection to Green Flake even though I see his name and get excited about my family connection to him and his posterity. You see my 3X great grandpa was a slave owner. That statement of truth carries a lot of weight all on its own. Green Flake just happened to be the slave of James Madison Flake, and James happens to be my 3 times great grandpa. Green was his slave until the day when James broke the chains of his family’s past that held other men and women captive for many generations.

How brave of James and other slave owners to have the faith that they could make that change and trust that the Lord would bless them for it. How brave of Green Flake and other former slaves were to step out into a life that their families had not known for many generations. These men and women changed history and for all of them I am truly grateful!

There are people that want to skew this history and focus on the sins of the men and woman who were slave owners and the oppressions that were endured. But when we focus on the shame, we miss the opportunity to focus on the triumph of not only the families like the Flakes in courageously turning from the teachings they learned for generations but also the triumph of the new life that was forged by men and women like Green Flake.

It was best said in the speech today by Mauli Bonner, “Telling a pioneer story is never easy. It’s a hard story to tell. Many suffered. Many died. We don’t tell their stories to make the Missourians who forced them on to this trek feel bad or shame them. That’s not why we tell it. We tell it because these pioneers endured something incredible for what they believed. For religious freedom. We tell the stories to celebrate those who endured something that we’ll never fully understand, and it’s no different with our African American pioneers. We don’t tell the stories of enslavement to cause shame or guilt or pain. We tell the stories because they are true. Because they endured it and because we all have the opportunity to draw strength from them. Can we not draw strength from them?”

Mauli shared the African Proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” As God’s children we still have a way to go. We must come together so that we can lend our strength to one another on this lengthy journey through life. We must be willing to talk of these hard truths so that we will not repeat them. As Mauli said, “It’s a hard part of our history, but we have to remember it. We have to learn it and never forget it. And then what do we do with that knowledge? We teach our children. We allow them to come up in a world where they’re not going to be blind sighted by history. They’ll be able to be taught it at a young age so that we can truly be the inclusive community that we want to be.”

I cannot think of a better way to honor my pioneer ancestors than to be there today. I was honored to give my respect to a man who was such a blessing to them. I was grateful when I was able to speak with a few descendants of Green Flake who were there to honor their ancestors. How blessed I am to live in a time when we can give honor to these deserving pioneers. For no matter the color of their skin, they are also children of God who gave an honorable and deserving sacrifice to build up the kingdom of God. These blessed, honored pioneers!

My Savior, Jesus Christ

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 

-2 Nephi 25:26 

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my daily gratitudes. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because I love the opportunity to look and see what I have been blessed with. I love the joy that comes from counting my blessings. 

Of course my grandest blessing is that which comes from my savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to know where I can turn for peace and rest in this difficult world. I’m thankful for the opportunity to correct my mistakes, to change, and repent. I’m amazed knowing that he suffered so he could know how to help me. I know that he walks with me when I struggle. I know that he can help me heal when I am hurt and betrayed. I know that because of him I can be resurrected and I can again see my loved ones who have left this earth. I know he lives and for that I am thankful! 

I am grateful for my savior Jesus Christ! 

Credit to www.lds.org